Queen of Shadows

Started off a little sluggish, but in typical SJM fashion it picked up and accelerated into oblivion after the halfway point. 

Aelin is noticably less dumb, but still just as arrogant. Her biggest flaw in this book is needing to communicate her intentions and plans to her allies, but I see that happening going forward. 

Once again, Manon is my favorite character. I really liked her development especially when dealing with Elide and the Thirteen (especially that conversation with Asterin about the matrons and the branding) and I can't wait to see her experience the world with the information she gained.
The King of Adarlan still fascinates me (revealing that he's been fighting a demon the whole time was an interesting—if expected—twist, and I'm a little disappointed that he's dead) but I am excited to see what all his plans spanning the last four books coalesce into.

I get why people don't like Chaol, but he is 110% the most human character (aka the Boromir of this setting), which is a valuable perspective to have when surrounded by super powered people. Dorian is a gem, and I loved that he was fighting the demon the whole time (and him being so horny for Manon that he broke through) was entertaining.

Nice to see the pieces coming together for the inevitable nightmare. It will be interesting to see how it all ends up.